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Whisper To Humanity’s feminist crush for this week is Chief Margaret Ekpo

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Chief Margaret Ekpo (July 27, 1914 – September 21, 2006) was a Nigerian women's rights activist and social mobilizer who was a pioneering female politician in the country's First Republic and a leading member of a class of traditional Nigerian women activists, many of whom rallied women beyond notions of ethnic solidarity.

She played major roles as a grassroots and nationalist politician in the Eastern Nigerian city of Aba, in the era of an hierarchical and male-dominated movement towards independence, with her rise not the least helped by the socialization of women's role into that of helpmates or appendages to the careers of males.

Margaret Ekpo's awareness of growing movements for civil rights for women around the world prodded her into demanding the same for the women in her country and to fight the discriminatory and oppressive political and civil role colonialism played in the subjugation of women. 

She felt that women abroad including those in Britain, were already fighting for civil rights and had more voice in political and civil matters than their counterparts in Nigeria. 

She later joined the decolonization-leading National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), as a platform to represent a marginalized group.

 In the 1950s, she also teamed up with Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to protest killings at an Enugu coal mine; the victims were leaders protesting colonial practices at the mine. 

In 1953, Ekpo was nominated by the NCNC to the regional House of Chiefs, and in 1954 she established the Aba Township Women's Association. As leader of the new market group, she was able to garner the trust of a large number of women in the township and turn it into a political pressure group. By 1955, women in Aba had outnumbered men voters in a citywide election.

Margaret Ekpo won a seat to the Eastern Regional House of Assembly in 1961, a position that allowed her to fight for issues affecting women at the time. In particular, there were issues on the progress of women in economic and political matters, especially in the areas of transportation around major roads leading to markets and rural transportation in general.

After a military coup ended the First Republic, she took a less prominent approach to politics. In 2001, Calabar Airport was renamed Margaret Ekpo International Airport.

Sadly, she died 5 years later in 2006.

Whisper To Humanity’s Feminist Crush for this week is Layo Ogunba

 

A self taught “Jane of Some Trades'', I enjoy being at the intersection of product management, marketing and growth. I want to build things that matter and add value to people’s lives.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve helped build, launch, scale, drive adoption and retention of products in the U.S and Africa across several business domains. I truly believe the journey to building great products begins after it’s shipped, plus that’s where all the fun is.

Reading, trying out new restaurants, wine, and lazy pool days are all things I love. Currently residing in Lagos, NG

 

LAYO OGUNBANWO


BUILDER, MULTIPLE HAT WEARER, PROBLEM SOLVER, PRODUCT LEADER

 
 
Over the last decade, I have built a career focused on making a meaningful impact and improving people’s lives. I am currently the VP of Product Strategy at Piggyvest, a B2C fintech company focused on building and democratizing financial services for African millennials.
 
Prior to Piggyvest, I cut my teeth as the 7th hire at Axxess, a U.S based B2B SaaS healthcare tech company where I played a pivotal role in expanding the customer base to more than 7,000 healthcare organizations, empowering 250,000+ clinicians who service more than 1 million patients across all 50 states.
 
 



Fiercely committed to seeing and supporting more women in tech, I volunteer as a mentor with the Google Women Techmakers program in Sub-Saharan Africa, an initiative to promote, support and build a community for women to thrive in technology. I am passionate about paying it forward and thus serve as a Google for Startups Accelerator Africa mentor, where I share my knowledge and expertise to help start-ups grow. I am a Founding Member of The Feminist Coalition, a group of young Nigerian feminists with a mission to champion equality for women in Nigerian society, with a core focus on education, financial freedom and representation in public office.

Outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis , trying out new restaurants and laughing at my own jokes.

 

 

Ten Ways To Smash Patriarchy At Home By RUDRANI GUPTA

We all talk about patriarchy in politics, workplace, education institution and social spaces and how to defy it. But the most toxic patriarchal control is the one that thrives in families which often gets ignored as “personal matters”. So the onus to defy that control and to establish a new norm lies on women who are empowered and guide other women within the family to seek empowerment. Here are ten ways in which you can smash the patriarchy at your home:

 

sexist advice relatives

 

1. Start the conversation

Patriarchy is as old as our religion and religious texts. Just like we all have a religious text in our houses and a religion assigned to our identity, we have patriarchy dictating the terms of our life. So the first step towards dismantling patriarchy is to start the conversation of equality and feminism and make it familiar to your inmates.
 

2. Learn to say ‘No’
 
It is very crucial for every struggle against patriarchy, whether at home or outside, to learn to say ‘no’. Say ‘no’ to anything that your parents force you to believe in and to that which is outright patriarchal. Whether it is about respecting an elder who doesn’t value your dignity, wearing certain clothes just because society wants it or about stifling your desires for the sake of the patriarchal norms, learn to deny. Explain the reason why you think it is unfair to impose binaries on you. And stand by it.
 

3. Change the way you read or have been introduced to myths and religious texts

Religion is another patriarchal institution imposed and carried forward through families. Girls and boys are taught since their childhood to chant and memorise mantras, shlokas and myths. But rarely those myths and stories are recited by exposing their patriarchal origin or the hidden feminist narrative. And if myths remain patriarchal, how will the religion and beliefs rooted in them be emancipating? So it is important for families to retell the mythologies from feminist perspectives. However, to follow the religion and beliefs or not, should be an individual choice.
 
 
4. Share the housework, problems and properties equally

To encourage feminism at home, normalise the idea that everyone should know basic cooking and cleaning skills. No one should be dependent on others to get his or her work done. Get rid of the beliefs that financial problems should not be shared with women because they can’t understand money. Women aren’t naturally incapable of financial intelligence. They have never been taught how to manage money. So, encourage discussions of financial independence, problems and it’s solutions at home. Lastly, normalise women being the inheritor or boss of the family properties, even if that means defying an age-old parampara.
 
5. Talk about periods, sex and sexuality openly

To smash patriarchy at home, it is very important to get rid of the taboos it has imposed. We need to normalise sex and period talks at home, which has been wrapped in taboos to restrict women. The process of dismantling taboos around period and sex should start from home otherwise people internalise them in their upbringing and carry forward to the next generations. And it shouldn’t be done only among mothers and daughters. Fathers, husbands and brothers should be equally involved in it.


6. Watch feminist movies together, avoid the sexist ones

The best way to initiate a conversation and make it convincing is to do it through a movie. Watching a women-centric movie or those that deal with social issues can play a vital role in removing the patriarchal control in your house. The perspective of the movies, the questions that they raise on the ordinary life situations, not to forget, their powerful dialogues have a lasting impact on the thought process of the audience. If you watch such movies with your family, it will be an eye-opener and make it easier for your family members to look at life from a different perspective. While simultaneously, do not undo these impacts and changes by watching a sexist movie with your family or laughing at a sexist joke.


7. Question and defy the regressive customs; be the new trendsetter

Although the Constitution has banned regressive practices like child marriage, caste discrimination and dowry, they are practised widely by many families even today. The biggest reason behind this is the value that families have assigned to the traditions. There is both fear and honesty involved that forces a family to continue these customs, despite knowing that it is illegal. Laws and logic take a backseat. So the most important step to dismantle these customs is to change the family traditions. Oppose those practices as much as you can. You might be ignored and criticised, but don’t give up. If you aren’t able to change the life of other members in your family, vow to not practice these customs yourself. That’s how you will put an end to the oppressive tradition and begin a new one about liberty and defiance.


8. Parenting responsibility should be shared by both parents

Traditions have deigned that mothers should sit at home and take care of the child. While men should be at work even on the day when their babies are born. Currently, the Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli, has taken paternity leave to be with his wife Anushka Sharma while giving birth to their first child. This reminds us that parenting is not an individual’s job but a partnership in which both the parent is equally involved- both should take leaves, have sleepless nights and cherish each moment of parenthood.


9. Encourage your parents to identify the ways they have been oppressed and that it is time to change

The reason why parents impose patriarchy at homes is that they too have been oppressed by it. They inherited it from their parents to raise the boys and girls differently. Until your parents identify the ways patriarchy has dictated their lives, they cannot understand why there is a need to bring a change. Ask your mother if she had some dreams that remained unfulfilled and why was so? Was it because her parents didn’t allow? Or her in-laws restricted her? Why didn’t she speak up? Would she want her daughter to remain silent like she (mother) was expected to? Not only mothers but know about father’s life also and help them understand that patriarchy is not a norm; it is an enforced ideology based power relations. And we as free humans have the right to have our own plans.

10. Lastly, go slow and steady

Defying patriarchy at home might pose a risk of hurting your loved ones. It is followed by misunderstandings, arguments and fights which often creates an unbridgeable gap within the family. And a disoriented family is a big setback in our thrust towards smashing the patriarchy. So go slow and consider the context, ideologies and the upbringing of your partner or parents. Don’t react aggressively when they force you to think or do something wrong. Deny politely without compromising your love and respect for your parents. Remember, to unlearn something that you have grown up with is very difficult. You can’t expect your parents or partners to change their views at once. Take time to explain and give them time to understand.
 

Source: Ten Ways To Smash Patriarchy At Home (shethepeople.tv)

Whisper To Humanity’s Feminist Wednesday Crush for the week is Ire Aderinokun.
Ire Aderinokun is a Nigerian front end developer and Google Developer Expert. She is Nigeria's first female Google Developer Expert. Ire is from Ogun state, Nigeria. She was born into the family of Tayo and Mrs. Olunfunlola Aderinokun.

After her secondary school education in Nigeria she got a bachelor's degree in Experimental Psychology from University of Bristol. While pursuing her master's degree in law at University of Bristol, her interests for computer science made her take a design course at CodeAcademy.
 
See the source image
 
 
Ire is a self-taught frontend developer and user interface designer. She wrote built her first website at 13 as a fansite for Neopets where she had learned her first basic HTML codes.  Ire also runs a blog called bitsofcode, where she breaks down coding tips to other developers. She started the blog in 2015.

Ire is a Google Developer Expert, specializing in the core front-end technologies HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Ire is also an author at techcabal. She organizes Frontstack, a conference for front-end engineering in Nigeria and started a small scholarship program to sponsor Nigerian women to take a audacity Nanodegree in a technology-related field of their choice. 

She is the co-founder and VP Engineering of BuyCoins. Ire is also one of the founding members of the Feminist Coalition, a group of women with a mission to champion equality for women in Nigerian society.




International Women's Day 2021

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. It is also a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence against women.

 

 

International Women's Day is commemorated in a variety of ways worldwide; it is a public holiday in several countries, and observed socially or locally in others. The UN observes the holiday in connection with a particular issue, campaign, or theme in women's rights. In some parts of the world, IWD still reflects its political origins, being marked by protests and calls for radical change; in other areas, particularly in the West, it is largely sociocultural and centered on a celebration of womanhood.

 

 

 

Steering a New Course: Female Leadership Celebrated on International  Women's Day 2020 | Delivered. | Global

 
 
This year, the theme for International Women's Day (8 March), “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain.
 
IWD: IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge
 
 
IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.
We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.
From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge.
Crush on a Feminist Wednesday

Whisper To Humanity’s feminist crush for this week is Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin.

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Dr. Josephine “Joe” Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin is a women’s rights activist from Nigeria who serves as president for the group Women Arise for Change Initiative and Campaign for Democracy.

 

 Dr. Okei-Odumakin also serves as the Executive Director for the Institute of Human Rights & Democratic Studies as well as being an integral member of several other activist organizations. 

 

She received her master’s in Guidance and Counseling followed by a doctorate in History and Policy of Education.

 

Nigeria was ruled by a series of oppressive military regimes between 1970 and 1999. 

 

Dr. Okie-Odumakin began to fight and challenge human rights abuses during the late 1980’s. Joe’s activism led to her being detained 17 times during the military rule of Ibrahim Babangida and his IBB regime. 

 

In 1994, Joe was accosted by the police and beaten nearly to death and detained for pasting posters protesting against one of the world’s most violent regimes. 

 

Later that same year, while addressing a rally, Joe sustained serious injuries as she was again violently seized by soldiers and imprisoned.

 

Without giving in to fear, Joe has continued her activism and been an unshakeable voice in the Nigerian civil rights movement. 

 

She has helped with over 2,000 cases where the rights of women and children have been disregarded by police, schools and even hospitals. 

 

Some of the most extreme cases Josephine has worked on involve extrajudicial killings or women or their families by soldiers and police. The recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Okei-Odumakin was also the recipient of the International Women of Courage Award from the United States Department of State. 

 

The award was presented to her personally by Michelle Obama and John Kerry on International Women’s Day in 2013.

10 Health Tips For Teenagers To Improve Their Life

Teenagers need guidance all the time. So why not use these health tips for teenagers to build the right foundation for a prosperous life?!

 

It is the desire of every individual to stay fit throughout life. To make this happen, people tend to do lots of things and spend huge amounts of money.

 

 

 

For instance, some sweat out by exercising in the gym every day. Apart from that, some people follow the rigorous diet plans and detox programs to remove toxicity from their bodies.

 

Being healthy signifies that all your body organs, along with your mind, are working optimally. Now the question arises, why should one stay fit and healthy? The simple answer is that staying healthy prevents you from lots of diseases.

 

In case you would adopt all the healthy habits, your body will remain free from toxin substances. Due to this, you would not become ill on a frequent basis and won’t find the need to taking medicines to fight inflammation.

 

 10 Health Tips For Teenagers To Improve Their Life

You would have heard of the phrase – “Health is Wealth”.

 

It is well proven because being healthy would ensure prevention from diseases, which would save your money incurred in the medical expenses. Additionally, it would also give you a refreshed feeling every day.

 

Healthy individuals usually live a longer, happier, and pain-free life. Additionally, they would observe lesser injuries and stress as compared to the ill or unhealthy people.

 

What Health Means For Teenagers?

It is the requirement and responsibility of individuals hailing from every age group to follow a healthy lifestyle to stay healthy and be away from diseases.

 

However, teenagers need to pay special attention to their health for lots of long-term benefits.

 

 

 

Most of you would be knowing that teenagers are individuals with age between 13 and 19 years.

 

This is the age when the human body observes crucial growth and development, which remains intact until the old age.

 

During this age, the human body goes through vital hormonal changes along with the tissue and brain development.

 

In case the teenagers would take care of their health during this age, they will observe two major benefits:

 

1. Proper Body Development

Firstly, their body organs would be developed optimally, without any abnormalities. This will enhance their chances of living a disease-free life for a long age.

 

It will also help them develop their body’s stamina for accomplishing tougher tasks.

 

2. The Formation Of The Habits

Secondly, this is the period when most of the individuals start adopting several habits, which they try to retain throughout their life.

 

This way, if they would learn to adopt healthy habits, there are more chances that they would keep those for the rest of their life.

 

 

 

Almost all the teenagers are students studying either in the school or college. In case they follow unhealthy habits, and get suffered from long-term diseases, their studies would also be hampered.

 

This would, in turn, impact their career and aspirations of achieving professional success in their life.

10 Health Tips For Teenagers

 

10 Health Tips For Teenagers  Start a revolution. Stop hating your body.

 

10 Health Tips For Teenagers

As discussed in the previous section, staying healthy would assure you a fit body and optimal growth.

 

Following are the best health tips for teenagers to stay healthy forever:

 

1. Work Out Regularly

It is essential for the young guys to work out on a regular basis.

 

Working out does not essentially mean to do weight training in some gym. You may also:

 

Run in some park;

Play outdoor games like football, volleyball, basketball, and cricket;

Do a brisk walk;

Join swimming classes;

Take dancing lessons;

Do anything that could burn your calories.

It would regulate the flow of blood in your body, burn extra fat, develop muscular weight, and optimize the performance of various body parts, such as lungs and heart.

 

It is essential for teenagers to spend at least 45 to 60 minutes every day for such a physical activity.

 

 

 

It is fine to skip the routine of physical activity occasionally. However, you should try to make it at least five days every week.

 

 

 

10 Health Tips For Teenagers - Adopt A Healthy Diet

2. Adopt A Healthy Diet

It is essential for teenagers to stick to a healthy diet plan.

 

They should include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein-rich food in their diet. They should also eat eggs, fish, chicken, depending on their lifestyle and food habits.

 

It is also good to consume dairy products, such as milk and curd, on a daily basis. These are good sources of calcium and protein.

 

These will provide their body with all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, which are necessary for the development of the essential cells and building blocks in their body.

 

You should avoid food items, which are high in fat. It is also seen that the individuals belonging to this age group tend to eat lots of junk food like chips, burgers, fries, cold drinks, and more.

 

These would not only lack in providing the nutrition value to our body but could also harm the functioning of several body organs.

 

You should also avoid overeating in a single meal, as well as fasting for a longer duration. It is ideal to have small frequent meals, preferably five to six times every day, based on nutritious food products.

 

 

 

3. Maintain A Healthy Body Weight

You would be knowing that the individuals of every age group need to maintain healthy body weight. It should be in adherence to the standard Body Mass Index (BMI).

 

Many teenagers are underweight, which indicates that they are not consuming enough nutritional diet per the requirement of their body.

 

 

 

On the other hand, many of them are overweight (referred to as obese), which could be a result of either overeating or lack of physical activities.

 

It is seen in many cases that obese teenagers remain so throughout their life.

 

Obesity, at a later stage, could further cause several other diseases and problems, such as diabetes, depression and heart diseases.

 

At times it happens that individuals gain weight despite following a balanced and healthy diet, and regular workout. This could indicate the presence of some diseases. In such a case, you must visit your doctor for the diagnosis of the root cause.

 

4. Have A Sufficient Sleep

Sleep is the primary requirement of the human body. Normal humans need at least seven hours of sleep to stay active throughout their day.

 

Many teenagers spend several hours of their night watching TV or surfing the internet. But they need at least eight hours of sleep during the night.

 

Ample sleep gives their body the rest, which is required for the expected growth and development of the essential tissues and hormones.

 

Lack of sleep could impact the nervous and endocrine system of their body.

 

Additionally, many individuals sleep for more than the normal requirement of the body. They are often seen sleeping for 10-11 hours in every 24 hours.

 

Oversleeping may also cause multiple side effects, such as obesity, lethargy, lack of concentration, and more.

 

5. Get All The Vaccination On Time

The teenagers must follow their vaccination chart and get all the required shots on time.

 

Additionally, they should also get additional annual vaccines, like for seasonal flu, which could prevent them from adopting various diseases and infections.

 

 

 

In case you would miss any of those, your body would observe severe problems at a later stage.

 

 

10 Health Tips For Teenagers - Avoid Listening To Loud Music

6. Avoid Listening To Loud Music

Teenagers must not listen to loud music either through their earphones or using external speakers.

 

It is reported in the studies and researches that listening to loud music may damage the hearing power of the individual ranging from a shorter span to throughout life.

 

The eardrums of young teenagers, especially till the age of 15-16 years, are very delicate. The high-frequency sound waves may cause severe damage to those.

 

10 Health Tips For Teenagers - Avoid Listening To Loud Music

While listening to music is a great way to de-stress and relax, turning the volume too loud can really damage your hearing.

 

7. Practice Meditation And Yoga

As mentioned earlier, most of the teenagers are students studying either in some school or college. This brings them lots of pressure.

 

So practicing meditation or yoga would help them in bringing down their stress level and staying calm in extreme situations.

 

It would also help them in concentrating on their studies in a better way and enhancing their productivity.

 

8. Maintain Good Relationship With Others

It is essential for teenagers to develop good behavioral skills.

 

They should spend a good time with their family and friends. This would help them in bringing down their stress and managing to solve their problems easily.

 

By not doing that, they may observe difficulty in assimilating with the outsiders at a later stage of their life.

 

9. Don’t Over-Exert Yourself

With the growing competition these days, students are required to keep themselves ahead of others.

 

However, this attempt, at times, make them face exertion, which could badly affect their health.

 

An attitude of becoming the best amongst your group may make you come under the depression in your personal life.

 

10. Drive Safely

Many late teenagers, who start learning to drive post completion of their 18 years of age, take the least care of their safety either due to carelessness, unawareness or even for fun.

 

For instance, they would not wear a helmet while riding on a two-wheeler. Additionally, many of them drive very fast.

 

You should always be very cautious while driving, as it may risk your life.

 

Hopefully, these health tips for teenagers will help them to improve their health and fitness levels. So spread the word with your friends by sharing this article. Thanks!